AGARTALA, May 7 (TIWN): Despite several necessary steps being taken by the police ,smuggling of timbers and other valuable products of forests has rampant here in the state Tripura with the smugglers continue to exploit forests for personnel gain. Churaibari Check Post is becoming a heaven to the smuggling of wooden timbers and other illegal products.

Recently the Churaibari police managed to caught hold the smuggling timbers from a train which was on a way to Silchar. However but the negligence role of the forest department has yet again came under the limelight with the police managed to recover a large consignment of timber that were reportedly on a way to get smuggled at Assam. 

The smugglers are reportedly smuggling wood freely to other states and neighboring countries by destroying valuable trees of Forest in broad daylight here. In spite of that the armed forest guards had no effort to prevent them. Many alleged, “The officials of the concerned department have turned blind eye towards the issue Many a times, we approached senior functionaries of the department, apprising them about the unabated cutting of trees by smugglers and the role of employees in forest department in facilitating that, but the officials failed to take any substantial action against the smugglers.”

However taking to TIWN in this regard on Thursday a source of state administration said, “The administration along with the police is on a move of regular checkup to restrict the timber smugglings across the state.”

The source also said, “The police personnel at the mostly reported timber smuggling areas are deployed for regular patrolling.” Adding to that he said, “Despite the regular police patrolling a section of smugglers are engaged to timber smuggling here at the state, but all the bordering areas are kept with eagle eye to restrict the transportation of the smuggled items to other states and countries.”

Local people have also accused employees of the District Forest Office of being involved in timber smuggling and not taking any initiatives to curb the illegal act. They claimed illegal timber supply flourished after forest guards and other concerned authorities of range posts established at the border points in the district started taking a hefty amount from the smugglers.

Besides, it has been learnt that a section of smugglers have a very good contact with other states like Assam and others and are making a hefty profit smuggling wood timbers and other valuable products of forest here.

The smugglers have been found adopting new strategy for timber smuggling. The smugglers have targeted the concerned border side of the district where maximum parts remained unfenced yet today, where the administration and security bodies gives less concern and are getting easily managed by the smugglers in exchange of hefty profit for the authorities.